4 Tips for Mental Wellbeing Awareness

Each year, the World Health Organization recognizes World Mental Health Day on October 10. The World Federation of Mental Health first established the day back in the early 1990s to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health. Since then, the conversation around this topic has come a long way and is becoming normalized in many work cultures. More and more, employers are looking to raise awareness and offer their employees more mental health resources within and outside the workplace. 

Providing resources for support, maintenance, and prevention can be the keys to addressing mental health. Below are four Virgin Pulse platform tips and recommendations to assist your employees with stress and mental health management. 

Tip 1: Engage Employees with Our Robust Selection of Mental Health Partners

Something as simple as taking a mindfulness break or setting up a quick chat with a health coach can help you take steps toward better managing your stress. Embrace member choice by offering flexible integration options and breadth of services with VP+ and partner solutions available through our global partner ecosystem. Our industry-leading engagement platform creates a seamless member experience and maximizes the value of our mental health partner programs. From guided meditations to clinical therapy, we offer a wide range of mental health partner options including:

• Whil - helps members across the world reduce stress and improve mindfulness and productivity through more than 3,500 goal-based audio and video sessions developed by the world’s top MDs, PhDs, and trainers.
• Headspace - offers hundreds of easy-to-follow guided meditations to help users stay on track throughout the day with topics ranging from stress and sleep to prioritization and creativity.
• meQuilbrium - builds a highly resilient workforce better equip members worldwide to manage the pressures of everyday life through a clinically validated web and mobile training platform.
• myStrength - gives members a flexible and comprehensive digital program offering evidence-based tools and anytime licensed therapists for depression, anxiety, sleep, and more.
• Pack Health – drives evidence-based healthy behavior change to improve outcomes across more than 25 conditions by addressing determinants of health through weekly hassle-free calls, texts, and emails with board-certified Health Advisors
• SilverCloud - provides 30 globally accessible online mental and behavioral health programs focusing on cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) to deliver clinically significant improvements in depression, anxiety stress, insomnia, resilience, and more. 
• Spring Health – removes barriers to mental health by assessing members for more than ten conditions, developing a personalized mental health treatment plan, and connecting members with a dedicated Care Navigator to guide them through their mental health journey. 
• Unmind – empowers members worldwide to live more fulfilling and balanced lives by leveraging technology to nourish all aspects of members' mental wellbeing, while giving organizations actionable insights to make more informed decisions

Tip 2: Promote A Reducing Stress Healthy Habit Through A Promotional Challenge

Creating a Custom Promoted Healthy Habit Challenge (PHHC) around one of our existing healthy habits in the client admin portal is a great way to promote organizational-focused initiatives to your employees. Consider creating a PHHC through the admin portal* utilizing one of the below healthy habits centered around mental wellbeing: 

• Mind Booster 
• Change Up Your Reaction 
• Mindful Moment 
• What's Your Mood? 
• Back to the Basics  

 Build your custom challenge content using any of these sources:

• Mental Health Foundation (UK)
• World Health Organization
• National Alliance on Mental Illness

Tip 3: Remind Employees to Take a Reducing Stress Journey

Journeys Digital Coaching takes the member on unique digital coaching paths across 16 domains including Reducing Stress. There is a variety of lifestyle and health topics, promoting positive behavior change by engaging the member in small, steps-based healthy habits. Consider promoting one or more of the following Journeys to your members to help reduce stress:

• Beat the Blues - helps the member understand the difference between sadness and depression while helping build new habits to understand and reverse the blues.
• Choose a New Mindset - Members learn to recognize their stress censors and train themselves to calm their stress by finding the positives and spread positivity to others.
• Make Time for Play - Learn to look for fun in everyday activities and channel your inner child. Keep it simple and you'll find more laughter and joy.
• Stress Less in No Time - Members learn some simple ways to rein in stress before it becomes a problem. These ideas are all things they can do for a few minutes in a break in their day.
• Three Ways to Lower Stress - Use this Journey to reduce stress and achieve a state of clear thinking and motivation called high energy. 

Tip 4: Promote Telephonic Health Coaching

If you use our Live Services, advertise coaching to your employees and encourage them to schedule a coaching session. To help with the promotions, be sure to take advantage of our member engagement campaigns offered or use the Announcement Card feature* to get the word out there!  

• Coaching is a process that challenges members to develop their inner wisdom, identify their values, and transform their wellness goals into action by facilitating healthy, sustainable behavior change. Members who schedule a Health Coaching session can emphasize their desire to improve their mental health, then their coach will tailor their sessions to fit the member's goals.
• To learn more about Live Services please reach out to your Client Success Team. 

*Visit the Client Resource Center for more information and instructions on how to create a custom PHHC or create an announcement card. Password enabled: VirginPulseCRC!